By Shapland Swim Schools Aura
IT’S that time of the year when children are on school holidays for the Christmas Break and families head for the water to get relief from the Queensland summer heat.
One of the best ways to help your child improve their Personal Aquatic Survival Skills is to let them play in the water and get the feel of how their bodies behave in this new and unfamiliar environment.
Of course, when around a body of water, it’s vital for parents to never take their eyes off their children and be within arm’s length of the child while they play in the water. Playing is a great way for a child to learn how differently their bodies behave in the water as compared to how their bodies behave on the land.
Even a simple act like walking in knee deep water can result in the child falling over face first into the water.
Provided you don’t make a big fuss of the fact your child may have face planted the water, they will normally adjust quickly to walking through the water, after all when your child was learning to walk, they fell over many many times which is part of the natural learning process for a child.
Encourage your child to try to put their fringe in the water as the first step towards getting used to water running over their face and around their eyes and nose.
For children who are comfortable in the water then encourage them to increase the amount of time thy can hold their breath and keep their face in the water as this will help develop their all-important breath control which is essential for being able to swim well. Above all be extremely vigilant.
We will be closed from December 21 to January 5.